


The Best Laid Plans

by lady_mab



Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Roman Rogues Sidequest (Rusty Quill Gaming), Zine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-26 18:40:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30110313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lady_mab/pseuds/lady_mab
Summary: “You can’t come along,” Riz says, when Azus asks to join.The rejection, at first, confuses Azus. He originally wasn’t going to ask, just sneak into the cart like usual, but wanted to try out the new ‘respect your siblings’ thing that the Boss was trying to teach them all. “Why not?”“Because I said so.” Riz puts his hands on his hips, as if it’s supposed to be intimidating. (It isn’t.)Azus tries again, using the ‘magic word’ the Boss taught them. “Please?”
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	The Best Laid Plans

The plan is a work in progress, but like the Boss always says: never go in with a full plan, because it’s gonna get blown to pieces. (Or something along those lines. Azus isn’t always completely sure what she means when she gives her lessons.) 

The first step, the hardest, is to get to the market. Or maybe that’s just the culmination of the first few steps of his in-progress plan. Because first he has to convince Riz to _take_ him to the market. 

Riz, however, for some unknown reason, refuses. As if he’s mad at Azus for something. As if now that they’re not in the life or death situation of being eaten by a rug or stabbing each other, he doesn’t have to be nice to Azus, his perfect little brother who has absolutely done nothing wrong ever.

“You can’t come along,” Riz says, when Azus asks to join.

The rejection, at first, confuses Azus. He originally wasn’t going to ask, just sneak into the cart like usual, but wanted to try out the new ‘respect your siblings’ thing that the Boss was trying to teach them all. “Why not?” 

“Because I said so.” Riz puts his hands on his hips, as if it’s supposed to be intimidating. (It isn’t.)

Azus tries again, using the ‘magic word’ the Boss taught them. “Please?” 

“No.” 

“Riz, _please_.” 

He stops trying to posture and instead tries to walk away from the conversation. “No, Azus. The Boss asked me to do these errands for her, so I can't have any distractions!” 

Azus doesn’t give up, trailing along behind his big brother and continuing to sling the plea over and over again. “Please please _please_ , Riz!” 

Riz stops so suddenly that Azus bumps into him. “Don’t you have lessons to get to?” 

He shrugs. “Boss won’t mind.” 

“I mind!”

“You’re not my teacher!” 

“No, but I’m your big brother! And someone has to be responsible around here.” Riz switches his stance to have his arms crossed over his chest when he glares down at Azus this time, and it is admittedly a bit more impressive than the hands-on-hips pose.

Azus doesn’t know what to do with his own hands, so he also crosses them over his chest and tries to mirror Riz as best he can. “Best way to learn is to do!” 

Riz hesitates for a moment, clearly trying to remember if that is something the Boss has actually said, before deciding that he doesn’t care. He heaves a sigh, drops his posture, and shakes his head. “Go to your lessons, Azus, before I get in trouble for you skipping.” 

This is definitely not going anywhere remotely as planned, and Azus didn’t even have a lot planned. 

Which means it is time to deploy the secret weapon. “If you take me with you, I’ll give you back your letter.” 

“It’s my letter!” Riz responds. “You should give it back to me!” There’s a beat, and Azus can see the realization creeping in over Riz’s face. “Wait! I _knew_ you had it!” 

“I didn’t say I did, I just said I'd get it back for you!” 

“That’s basically a clear admission of guilt and you know it.” Riz looks angrier than before, and Azus realises too late that his secret weapon has backfired. “Maybe if you gave it back to me first then I’d reconsider.” Riz turns on his heel and storms off again, and Azus _almost_ lets him go before deciding that he’s not going to lose this battle and hurries after. 

“Riz, come on!” Azus isn’t quite at the point of begging, but he’s not above having to resort to it. “I’ll do double lessons when I get back. I’ll do your lessons! And your chores!” He practically has to chase Riz around the table in the center of the room, only half-noticing that Amidus is there, hunched over and squinting at a piece of parchment. 

Riz’s legs are far longer, and so he manages to outpace Azus with absolutely no effort as he gathers up things that he needs. “See, this is exactly why you can’t come along! You’ll just be incredibly annoying the entire time.” 

“I won’t —” Azus starts, but Amidus gives an unnecessarily dramatic _shhhhh!!!_

Riz and Azus stop immediately, frozen in place, and whisper back a _sorry_ that doesn’t quite feel genuine. The two of them share a glance, but then Riz’s frown is back, and he turns away.

Azus drops his voice to a whisper and resumes his pestering. “I’m just asking to come with! I promise I won’t be a distraction! You won’t even notice that I’m there.” 

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Riz grumbles. “The moment someone forgets you’re there, something goes missing.” 

“I’m not going to take anything of yours!” Azus swears, holding up both hands in a show of innocence. “My mind is on my job, and my job is for Wilde!”

Amidus looks up from the scroll. “You took a job to kill Wilde for real this time?” he asks, still squinting. Sarcasm drips from his words, but it doesn’t dull the blow of them.

There’s a jerk of bundled up emotions still sitting in his stomach from the job — at seeing Wilde wrapped up in the rug and his own sword doing as much damage to her as the rug itself. 

Azus switches tactics, digs into that bundle of emotions, and decides to turn on the tears. “I just! I just want to get Wilde something! As an apology!” 

Amidus looks about ready to see through the act, his eyes narrowing as he exchanges a glance with Riz. “Why?” 

“Because!” he manages around a mighty collection of sniffles and sobs. “I got her killed when we went on the mission!” 

Riz crosses his arms over his chest and looks more upset than frustrated, which is an improvement. “She stabbed me! Several times! Why not get _me_ something?” 

“That’s something you’ll need to take up with her,” Azus replies. He almost forgets to sniffle pitifully.

“What did you want to get for her anyway?” Riz asks, sighing, and Azus knows that he is _this close_ to winning.

“She wanted a green dress, remember? I wanted to get her a green dress!” 

“You don’t have the money to —” But before Riz can finish his thought or Azus can say he never really _intended_ to pay for it, Amidus gets that look on his face that he does when he is ready to start speech-ifying. 

“ _Yes_ …” Amidus muses, rubbing a hand over his chin. (Wilde has muttered that he does that because he thinks it makes him look _refined_ and because he’s seen Cicero do it. Azus thinks it just makes him look like he has an itchy chin.) “Yes, a strike against the capitalistic scheme of the manufacturing class. A subtle but pointed blow to those who profit off the labor of others.” 

Now Riz has the expression of someone who really doesn’t want to say yes, but is also so incredibly ready for these shenanigans to be over. “Well…” he starts with a sigh. 

“I’ll come along too,” Amidus announces as he slips off the stool. 

Riz and Azus look at him, and Azus wonders how much this will throw his entire plan out of balance. Riz had been so close to saying yes, and this might change everything. Amidus is a terrifyingly unknown variable. 

So when Riz’s expression changes into something that could best be described as _cunning_ , Azus finally admits that his barely formulated plan has completely gone out the window. “Alright,” Riz says. “You can both come.” 

Azus knows better than to celebrate, and waits for the other sandal to drop. 

Only Riz doesn’t drop it. He just smirks at Azus, adds, “We leave in fifteen minutes,” and leaves Azus standing there wondering if, maybe, he shouldn’t just wait until someone else decides to go into town. 

But no: he’s not afraid. He is Azus, quickest fingers of the school (self-proclaimed), and if Riz tries to pull a fast one… 

Well, Azus is certain he’ll be able to add another purloined letter to his collection.

**Author's Note:**

> One of my two pieces for "[We're Still Working on the Name](https://rqgzine.tumblr.com/)" Rusty Quill Gaming zine!! I had so much fun working with everyone and it is a beautiful piece that we put together :') check out the tumblr and [twitter](https://twitter.com/RqgZine) for when they start sharing all the amazing pieces that everyone has contributed! ART! CHARACTER MODELS, LOCATIONS, FICS, RECIPES AND CROCHET PROJECTS, YOU NAME IT, WE GOT IT!!!! 
> 
> Come find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/littleladymab)/[tumblr](http://littleladymab.tumblr.com) @ littleladymab on both where i like to cry over Sasha, a Lot.


End file.
